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Dionysios Soter
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Dionysios Soter
Dyonisos Indo Greek coin.jpg
Coin of Dionysios Soter
Indo-Greek king
Reign 65�55 BCE
Born c. 86 BCE
Punjab
Died 55 BCE
Kashmir
Dionysios Soter (Greek: ?????s??? ? S?t??; epithet means "the Saviour") was an
Indo-Greek king in the area of eastern Punjab.[1]

Contents
1 Reign
2 Coins of Dionysios
2.1 Mint-marks
3 See also
4 Notes
5 References
6 External links
Reign
According to Osmund Bopearachchi, he reigned c. 65�55 BCE and inherited the eastern
parts of the kingdom of the important late ruler Apollodotus II. The kings share
the same epithet and use the common reverse of fighting Pallas Athene, and it seems
plausible that they were closely related, but relationships between the last Indo-
Greek kings remain uncertain since the only sources of information are their
remaining coins. R. C. Senior dates him approximately ten years later.

Earlier scholars like Professor Ahmad Hasan Dani have dated Dionysius much earlier,
between the years 115 and 100 BCE, making him the ruler of the Swat and Dir Valleys
and the weak successor of Polyxenos.

Dionysios was probably pressured by the invasions of the Indo-Scythians, and also
had to deal with Hippostratos, a more important king who had inherited the western
part of the kingdom of Apollodotus II.

Dionysios' name echoes the Olympic wine-god Dionysos, who according to Greek
mythology was also an ancient king of India.

Coins of Dionysios

Coins of Dionysios.

The "boxy" mint mark characteristic of later Indo-Greek kings was first used by
Dionysios Soter.
Dionysios was the first in the line of late kings who issued only silver drachms,
but no tetradrachms, which was likely due to his limited resources. On their
obverse is a diademed portrait of the king, with Athena Alkidemos on the reverse.

He also issued bronzes with Apollo on the reverse and a tripod on the obverse. Both
these types were inherited from Apollodotus II. The quality of the portraits is
inferior to most earlier kings. According to Bopearachchi, Dionysios inherited only
the inferior celators of Apollodotus II, which he associates with mints in eastern
Punjab.

Mint-marks
One single coin of Dionysios Soter is known to have used the "boxy" mint-mark
characteristic of the last Indo-Greek kings, down to Apollophanes, Strato II and
Strato III, who used it exclusively of any other.[2] He is also the first king
known to have used this mint-mark, which therefore came to be during his reign.[2]

vte
Greco-Bactrian and Indo-Greek kings, territories and chronology
Based on Bopearachchi (1991)[3]
Greco-Bactrian kings Indo-Greek kings
Territories/
dates West Bactria East Bactria Paropamisade
Arachosia Gandhara Western Punjab Eastern Punjab Mathura[4]
326-325 BCE Campaigns of Alexander the Great in India Nanda Empire
312 BCE Creation of the Seleucid Empire Creation of the Maurya Empire
305 BCE Seleucid Empire after Mauryan war Maurya Empire
280 BCE Foundation of Ai-Khanoum
255�239 BCE Independence of the
Greco-Bactrian kingdom
Diodotus I Emperor Ashoka (268-232)
239�223 BCE Diodotus II
230�200 BCE Euthydemus I
200�190 BCE Demetrius I Sunga Empire
190-185 BCE Euthydemus II
190�180 BCE Agathocles Pantaleon
185�170 BCE Antimachus I
180�160 BCE Apollodotus I
175�170 BCE Demetrius II
160�155 BCE Antimachus II
170�145 BCE Eucratides I
155�130 BCE Yuezhi occupation,
loss of Ai-Khanoum Eucratides II
Plato
Heliocles I Menander I
130�120 BCE Yuezhi occupation Zoilos I Agathokleia Yavanarajya
inscription
120�110 BCE Lysias Strato I
110�100 BCE Antialcidas Heliokles II
100 BCE Polyxenos Demetrius III
100�95 BCE Philoxenus
95�90 BCE Diomedes Amyntas Epander
90 BCE Theophilos Peukolaos Thraso
90�85 BCE Nicias Menander II Artemidoros
90�70 BCE Hermaeus Archebius
Yuezhi occupation Maues (Indo-Scythian)
75�70 BCE Vonones Telephos Apollodotus II
65�55 BCE Spalirises Hippostratos Dionysios
55�35 BCE Azes I (Indo-Scythians) Zoilos II
55�35 BCE Vijayamitra/ Azilises Apollophanes
25 BCE � 10 CE Gondophares Zeionises Kharahostes Strato II
Strato III
Gondophares (Indo-Parthian) Rajuvula (Indo-Scythian)
Kujula Kadphises (Kushan Empire) Bhadayasa
(Indo-Scythian) Sodasa
(Indo-Scythian)
See also
Greco-Bactrian Kingdom
Seleucid Empire
Greco-Buddhism
Indo-Scythians
Indo-Parthian Kingdom
Kushan Empire
Notes
All that's known about him was that he died in an expedition to Kashmir.The Greeks
in Bactria and India by William Woodthorpe Tarn p.318
Jakobsson, J (2010). "A Possible New Indo-Greek King Zoilos III, and an Analysis
of Realism on Indo-Greek Royal Portraits". Numismatic Chronicle. JSTOR article
O. Bopearachchi, "Monnaies gr�co-bactriennes et indo-grecques, Catalogue
raisonn�", Biblioth�que Nationale, Paris, 1991, p.453
Quintanilla, Sonya Rhie (2 April 2019). "History of Early Stone Sculpture at
Mathura: Ca. 150 BCE - 100 CE". BRILL � via Google Books.
References
Monnaies Gr�co-Bactriennes et Indo-Grecques, Osmund Bopearachchi, Biblioth�que
Nationale de France.
The Bactrian and Indus-Greeks, Ahmed Hasan Dani, Lahore Museum.
The Indo-Greeks Revisited and Supplemented, A.K. Narain, BR Publishing Corporation.
External links
Le Roi Dionysos Le Sauveur

Preceded by
Apollodotus II Indo-Greek Ruler
(in Eastern Punjab)
65 � 55 BCE Succeeded by
Zoilos II
vte
Hellenistic rulers
Categories: Indo-Greek kings1st-century BC rulers in Asia
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